Back when Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein signed Felipe Lopez at the end of the 2010 season, he did so with the intention of getting an extra supplemental draft pick since Lopez was a Type-B free agent.
Unfortunately, Theo’s gamble of getting that extra draft pick isn’t going to work out as Felipe Lopez has signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. Since it’s a minor league deal, the Red Sox will not pick up an extra supplemental round pick. Had it been a big league deal, they would have.
Lopez hit .267 with one home run and one RBI in four games with the Red Sox in 2010. Before being released by the St. Louis Cardinals, he hit .231 with seven home runs, 38 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 109 games.
The Red Sox will still have four picks in the first round plus the supplemental round despite losing their draft pick (No. 24) when they signed Carl Crawford. They have the Detroit Tigers pick at No. 19 for losing Victor Martinez. They also picked up the No. 26 pick from the Texas Rangers when they signed Adrian Beltre. They also get the two supplemental picks for losing Martinez and Beltre since they were Type-A free agents.
While the extra early round draft pick would have nice, it’s definitely not going to hurt the Red Sox at all. You know Theo’s brain trust in the baseball operations department will get the best players available in this very deep 2011 MLB Draft class.
Photo credit: AP Photo
